Welsh Journals

dcrfully keen in mind, critic, poet, essayist, the Professor of Spanish at Oxford wrote his novel, "The Sacred Giraffe," in English before publish- ing the Spanish version, "La Girafa Sagrada." Wales is not new to him. If I remember rightly, he was present at the National Eisteddfod at Neath in 1918. He believes that there is an old- world affinity between the Spanish and the Welsh, a reason for close co-operation in the furtherance of the things of the spirit. Wales has a deep stake in Latin America; she has Patagonia, and in all the republics of South America, the land of vast undeveloped possibili- ties, there are friends who are known to our people in Wales. The League of Nations Federation of Voluntary Societies, whose headquarters are at Brussels, is bent on a vigorous campaign through- out the Spanish speaking countries of South America. Simply and easily, if we will, there is a way in which some of us in Wales can help the Federation crusade for a wider knowledge in South America of the aims and the objects of the League of Nations, to which practically all the South American republics already belong. The Welsh Scheme of Lessons on the League, so widely used in Europe, has also been translated into Spanish. It is only a four-page pamphlet, and copies of it in Spanish may be obtained on application to Mr. David Samways, 10, Richmond Terrace, Cardiff. If those of us who have friends in South America could when writing enclose a copy of the Spanish pamphlet much good might be achieved. It is just this personal touch that tells. I would like to speak this month of one of the most valued and grateful of our foreign corres- pondents, Mr. Karl Wilhelmson, the headmaster of the School of Commerce, Narva, Estonia. A glance at a big map will show that Narva is an Estonian town almost on the borders of Soviet Russia and not far from Leningrad. Thirty-six pupils from this school sent thirty-six picture post- cards in 1927 in response to our Welsh children's wireless message. Mr. Karl Wilhelmson has written several times. Here is a letter from him dated January 3rd, 1928, from the Narva Kom- mestgumasum, 2, Moonaladu Tan Narva, Es- tonia — "I send you my best wishes for 1928. May it bring you in Wales full satisfaction for your noble work of Peace. I thank you heartily for your letter of November 4. I translated your 'Order of Service' and 'Some Thoughts on Armis- tice Day.' In this way we had in our school a very solemn commemoration of Armistice Day. In my school are girls and boys from 12 to 19 years old. They wish to correspond in English with pupils of some of your schools in Wales. The most import- ant newspaper in Estonia printed in its first num- ber of the year my entreaty to give the League of Nations organised support. I have received some essays for my peace magazine which I hope will interest the youth of Estonia." It will, I am sure, be the desire of some head teacher of a Secondary school in Wales to write a word of encouragement to so excellent a fellow-worker as Mr. Karl Wil- helmson, and that the pupils of the school should be linked in friendship with the pupils of the School of Commerce in the far-off outpost of Narva in Estonia. A remarkable tribute from an unexpected quarter was paid recently to the work in our schools in an interview with the French Ambas- sador to the Court of St. James in the "Paris- Midi." M. de Fleuriau was speaking of his im- pressions of Great Britain. One of the things which has most deeply impressed him is the in- struction given in British schools on the League of Nations. "Mark you," he said, "the instruc- tion is given to children of both sexes-nothing is more natural in a country where the woman pos- sesses the same political rights as a man-so a knowledge of the League of Nations is assured to the future heads of families. The children of to-day when they become the adults of to-morrow will have already acquired the taste to become in- terested in international questions and will be better able to understand them." It is our privilege in Wales to assist in the building up of a small library of English books at the headquarters of League of Nations Asso- ciations in foreign capitals where, by reason of a serious fall in the currency, English books are very expensive. Miss L. E. Carter, of the Union Beige pour la Societe des Nations, has kindly sent us a list of books desired which is exceedingly interesting. It is in two sections-the first suita- ble for the younger, the second for the older chil- dren. This is the list :—I. "Peter Pan" (Bar- rie), "Peter and Wendy" (Barrie), "In the Golden Days" (Edna Lyall), "The Scarlet Pimpernel" (Baroness Orczy), "The Merry-Go-Round" (a new monthly for children or any other magazine for children of the same kind), "Little Women" and "Little Men" (Alcott). II. "Daddy Long Legs" (Webster), "Jerry of the Island" (Jack London), "Priscilla's Fortnight" (by the author of Elizabeth in her German Garden), "The Grey Knight" (Mrs. de la Pasture), "The Lady of the Decoration," "Tales from Shakespeare" (Charles Lamb), "Christmas Carols" and "David Copper- field" (Dickens), and "Silas Marner" (George Eliot). Readers who feel that they would like a hand in this library scheme of fostering goodwill between the nations should send a book or books direct to Miss L. E. Carter, Union Beige pour la Societe des Nations, Palais D'Egmont, Rue Aux